Kelsea Ballerini opened up about her divorce from fellow country singer Morgan Evans during her speech at the Time100 Next Gala in New York City on Tuesday, October 24.
“I got divorced last year at 29, and it was gnarly,” Kelsea, 30, said at the event. “After that, I got back to why I started writing songs and that was because I had really big, complex human feelings that I needed to sort through and figure out.”
“Selfishly I did it for me, but I ended up putting it out just in case there was another 29-year-old girl that was dealing with the same thing,” the singer said, referring to her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP and introducing her song “Penthouse.”
The country star, who is now dating Chase Stokes, added that “this EP changed my life in a way I can’t really explain.”
In August 2022, the “Mountain With a View” artist filed for divorce from Morgan, 38. The pair were married for nearly five years. At the time, she discussed the split on her Instagram Story, calling the decision to divorce “deeply difficult” and a “result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end.”
Meanwhile, the “Over For You” singer confirmed the split on his own Instagram page. “I am very sad to confirm that after almost five years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways,” he wrote. “I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not.” He later reflected on the split in November 2022. “One of the hardest parts of it is how lonely it feels,” he told Access at the 2022 CMA Awards.
“It’s strangely comforting to realize that so many other people have been through it,” the country star continued, noting that he’ll “eventually” try dating again.
Kelsea and Morgan first met in March 2016 when they cohosted Australia’s Country Music Channel Awards and then spent time together at the afterparty.
In December 2016, the pair announced their engagement on social media. “On March 12th I met and hosted an awards show with @morganevansmusic…” the “Miss Me More” singer wrote on Instagram. “This morning, 9 months and 13 days later, he got down on one knee in the kitchen while I was burning pancakes and asked me to marry him.”
“Loving him has been the greatest gift of my life,” she added. “And now I get to do it for life. #HECALLEDDIBS.”
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